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Summer Rolls

These lovely little rolls are a delight to pack for lunch. For a dipping sauce, I used leftover peanut dressing from the Bok Choy salad recipe. When I pack up the rolls, I separate them from each other with wax paper. Otherwise they stick together mightily and get torn when I pull them apart. This is a recipe that you can customize endlessly depending on what you like and what ingredients you have on hand. Last night, I filled mine with “crab”, lettuce, cilantro, mint, red bell pepper, carrot, and cucumber. These are way easier to make than sushi rolls.

Have all ingredients ready to roll before starting. Fill a large shallow dish with hot tap water. Take one rice paper wrapper and place it in the water. Wiggle it around for at least 30 seconds until it is thoroughly softened. Carefully place the wrapper on a flat surface as smoothly as possible. I use a cutting board and I let about 1 inch of the wrapper hang over the edge. This makes it easier for me to grab it. Place a small amount of each filling ingredient on the wrapper. Grab the edge of the wrapper that is hanging off the edge of the cutting board and fold it up over the filling. Fold in the wrapper at each side and then tightly roll up the bundle to enclose the filling. If you find that you have a big, sloppy roll that won’t stay shut, you probably used too much filling. Try it with less. Repeat until you’ve used up your ingredients! These can be stored for a day or two refrigerated in a covered container and separated by wax paper or plastic wrap.